Watch: Chad Griffin, AFER Board President, Speaks on Prop 8 Victory

Chad Griffin, Board President of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, representing the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 lawsuit, speaks about the victory at a press conference following the release of the ruling declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

Comments

To quote Winston Churchill: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

There is still a long struggle ahead and the forces aligned against us are strong. I truly hope this decision withstands the challenges it is sure to face in the months or even years to come. But for now, let's celebrate!

Posted by: Bob R | Aug 4, 2010 7:43:14 PM

...reminds me of Obama's many great speeches and I mean that as a compliment, to me it is crystal clear, intelligent, truthful, open, fair, moving, understandable and totally necessary...he is saying WTF needs to be heard, IMO. If only people will listen, understand and yes, EMPATHIZE with one another. I applaud this man for his words and actions this day and beyond for this is a good fight indeed, again in IMHO...for the country, the constitution and families....

Posted by: yeahisaidit | Aug 4, 2010 7:55:04 PM

I saw this live on CNN, he's the best LGBT spokesperson I've seen. Thank you Chad.

Posted by: Brian in Texas | Aug 4, 2010 8:21:43 PM

wow---great speach!!!Gave me goosebumps...and I just GOT Married to my partner of 10yrs today in Vermont at 5pm....what a way to remember and celebrate my Anniversary.

Posted by: disgusted gay american | Aug 4, 2010 9:02:18 PM

BRAVO! Here's some 411 on Griffin I pulled together.

He founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights [which brought the CA lawsuit] only a year ago. It has ONE full-time employee [are you listening HRC?]. He still holds the title of youngest staffer to work in the White House. Also from Hope, Arkansas, he took a job with the Clinton administration when he was just 19. He raised millions to fight Prop H8TE at the ballot box, including convincing Kinsey 0 Brad Pitt to contribute $100,000 [the same amount Ellen donated] with whom he's involved in the green building movement, and K0 Steve Bing to donate $500,000. The only praised anti-Prop 8 TV ads were his idea, though they came too late as the NO on 8 leaders didn't ask him to become involved until a month before the vote. He's fought against Big Tobacco and Big Oil, and for clean energy, universal health care, stem cell research, and early childhood education. He was executive producer of the documentary "Outrage" about closeted gay yet antigay politicians. He convinced Rob Reiner [with whom he successfully fought to save 4.7 square miles of SO CA wilderness from development by its then-owner Washington Mutual] to help underwrite this lawsuit, and personally set aside mountains of political differences to convince Republican heavyweight Ted Olson to be cocounsel with David Boies.

"When people ask me about [why I became involved], I often say I don’t want to talk about it. Because it’s wrong to say that my motivation is so that I can get married. My motivation is the young kid in Arkansas who I once was, or in Fresno or East Los Angeles—the kids who are told every day by the government that they are second-class citizens. It licenses the hate that you hear and that you see every day. So we’ll continue to see high suicide rates among gay teens and hate crimes as long as there is this institutionalized discrimination."